Her Gilded Revenge For Stolen Fate novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Celine was pregnant with Charles’s child.

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It was almost laughable. Charles had fallen head over heels for Celia at first sight, spending his days in a daze, unable to think of anything but her.

But he knew his humble background meant he could never be worthy of the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Aurea. Despite tossing and turning at night, he couldn’t suppress his feelings.

In the end, he found a woman who looked about seventy percent like Celia, kept her by his side, and doted on her.

Before long, Celine, the stand–in, became pregnant.

In most families, a man would never let his mistress or maid have an illegitimate child before he was married. Otherwise, no decent family would ever let their daughter marry him after that.

But the Linden family didn’t play by the usual rules.

Sylvia’s younger brother had only one son: Charles. He was their sole male heir, and even after years of trying every remedy, they still couldn’t have another.

Sylvia’s mother even brought in a fortune–teller, who said their family would have only one son per generation, for generations to come.

That made the child in Celine’s belly unbelievably precious.

Even though the baby wasn’t legitimate, the Linden family couldn’t bring themselves to let the child go. Worried that Charles might never have another heir, they set Celine up in a separate house and made sure she was well cared for.

Back in Vivian’s previous life, when she learned about this, Celine’s child was already several months along.

Vivian thought, ‘By now, Celine should be a few months pregnant. Sylvia claimed that Charles and I had made a secret vow to spend our lives together.

‘If I can bring the heavily pregnant Celine to Aurea Manor, Sylvia’s lies would unravel instantly.

‘After all, at first glance, Celine looks just like Celia, but she lacks her grace and elegance: a cheap imitation at best.

Vivian was practically itching to see what kind of expression Sylvia would make when she saw Celine.

She thought, ‘Would Sylvia hate me for not playing into her little scheme? Or would she be furious with Charles for being so shameless, making moves on her own daughter?‘

The study was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Enoch towered over Vivian, his gaze sharp. He said, “Miss Snyder, I’ll help you find that maid, but you must promise me one thing.”

Vivian looked up, her brows furrowing in confusion. She thought Enoch was about to warn her not to hurt Celine, to keep things from spiraling out of control. But his words took her by surprise.

“Go to the Fletcher residence. Edward wants to meet you,” Enoch said.

Enoch’s cousin, Edward, had gotten into it with Nicholas at the Imperial Menagerie.

If Vivian hadn’t distracted the mother bear with her cub, Edward probably would’ve been mauled by the bear, just like in the previous life.

Chapter 50

“It was just a small favor, really. I didn’t expect Edward to remember,” Vivian said with a soft chuckle.

Suddenly, something clicked for Vivian, and she asked, “Your Highness, how did that mother bear even get out of her cage that day?”

That question had been bothering her for ages in her previous life. She always felt it was someone’s doing, not just some accident.

Enoch said, “Someone is targeting the Fletcher family. If anything happened to Edward, the Fletcher family would have no heir left. It’d only be a matter of time before they fell.”

His voice was rough, his eyes impossible to read.

“But Nicholas was at the Imperial Menagerie, too. If he got hurt, His Majesty wouldn’t just let it slide. He’d get to the bottom of it for sure,” Vivian pointed out.

Enoch gave a cold laugh and said, “Who says an investigation will even turn up anything?

“One of the servants at the Imperial Menagerie took his own life that day. He had no family, no attachments, nobody even knew whose orders he was following.”

Vivian was stunned, not knowing what to say.

Even after living two lives, Vivian still didn’t know all the details. What she did remember was that after Celia saved Nicholas, Edward died in a tragic way that left Nicholas so traumatized he ran a high fever for days.

Victoria never left Nicholas’s side, caring for him day and night. In just half a month, she grew noticeably thinner, and the king was so worried he started staying in her palace every night, helping her look after Nicholas.

At the same time, the king entrusted Xavier with more responsibilities, allowing him to capitalize on Enoch’s misfortune, outshine the devastated crown prince, and win the court’s favor.

By then, Daphne had already miscarried.

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Celia lost Daphne’s support and grew closer to Victoria. Later, they became mother–in–law and daughter–in–law, and everyone talked about how well they got along.

But this time around, Vivian managed to keep Edward from dying at the Imperial Menagerie, and Nicholas wasn’t left gravely ill and unconscious like before. Word from the palace was quiet, like nothing had happened at all.

Vivian asked, “Edward and Nicholas are so young. After being scared like that at the Imperial Menagerie, are they really okay?”

Enoch shot her a strange look, like he couldn’t figure out why she was asking. Neither Edward nor Nicholas is a weakling. They’re perfectly fine,” he replied.

Vivian nodded. “Just let me know when, Your Highness, and I’ll head to the Fletcher residence myself,” she said.

Enoch just gave a brief reply and didn’t keep her any longer. He signaled for the guards to see her out.

Vivian made her way back to Aurea Manor. As soon as she stepped into Beatrice’s courtyard, she heard Nina’s voice.

Nina said, “Grandma, is Vivian really going to marry Charles? The Linden family isn’t exactly high society, and he’s just from a lesser branch. I’m worried Vivian might be a bit beneath her.”

Her words sounded caring on the surface, but there was a clear note of schadenfreude underneath.

Beatrice had been around long enough to spot all of Nina’s little games, but she just let it slide, not bothering to call her out. She just glanced at Dorothy.

Chapter 50

Dorothy instantly caught on and kicked Nina under the table.

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Nina gasped from the pain, but she was too thick–headed to get what her mom meant, and just kept talking anyway.

Nina continued, “But with that scar on Vivian’s left cheek, her face is pretty much ruined. She looks a bit frightening now, so it’s going to be tough for her to get a decent proposal. It’s a good thing Charles is Sylvia’s nephew.

“He’s family, so he won’t mistreat Vivian.”

Dorothy was so furious that she was seeing red.

Beatrice’s face was far from pleased. She said, “Charles is just one of the options. We’re just letting Vivian check him out, nothing’s decided yet.”

Nina said, “Sylvia is gorgeous, so Charles probably isn’t bad–looking either. Word is, he’s got brains and talent to spare. If you overlook the whole family background issue, he and Vivian aren’t a bad fit at all.”

Vivian lifted the curtain and called out, “I didn’t realize you fancied Charles, Nina. As your elder sister, I would never compete with you. You may meet him today and judge for yourself.”

Nina’s face instantly darkened. Her voice dripped with disdain as she shot back, “An illegitimate son of some minor official? He could never measure up to our family.”

Vivian’s eyes lit up with a teasing smile. She said, “You couldn’t stop praising him just now, Nina. I thought you were falling for him.”

Nina shot up from her chair, her face turning bright red. She was clearly furious at Vivian.

Vivian blinked innocently, feigning confusion. She asked, “Why are you so upset, Nina? Is Charles not good enough for you?”

“You-” Nina sputtered, pointing at Vivian, too flustered to get the words out.

Vivian stepped forward, playfully brushing her fingers against Nina’s.

“What’s this all about? You kept going on about how Charles and I are such a good match, but when it comes to you, suddenly, you want nothing to do with him.

“If people know the truth, they’ll see you and Charles have nothing going on, so of course you two aren’t a pair. But if they don’t, they might think you just can’t stand me.“,